The Sun, The Dirt, and The Blood
by fezzesarecool1234
Summary: Alternate Ending To A Town Called Mercy Rush to The Doctor's aid alongside the Ponds as they race to save The Doctor before his injuries threaten to destroy him.


"You see, this is what happens when you travel alone for too long. Well, listen to me, Doctor. We can't be like him. We have to be better than him." Amy exclaimed, very frustrated with The Doctor. 'Since when did he sentence people to death, just because of their stupid choices?' She stared at him for a few moments, bewildered by his actions. Some movement behind The Doctor caught Amy's eye, and the rational part of her brain figured it was just Jex trying to get back over the line. Then, an awful feeling settled in the pit of her stomach, and a sense of forthcoming advised Amy to the thought that something bad was about to happen to her Raggedy Man. Before the brain even sent the message to her legs, Amy felt herself lunging forward towards The Doctor. Suddenly, a loud BANG sounded out, echoing across the street, instantly silencing any chatter. In that second, Amy's world stopped. Her legs froze to the ground as she watched a small burst of blood come from the Doctor's chest and his legs give out underneath him. Amy blinked, and in the second that he was standing, he was falling to the hard, unforgiving ground of Mercy, collapsing in a harrowing state of dead weight. The fast-paced breathing hitched in Amy's throat as she heard the Doctor scream. There was a flurry of activity around her as the shocked townspeople of Mercy burst into action. This brought Amy out of her self-destructive reverie and she jumped towards the Doctor.

"DOCTOR! No, no, no! Doctor!" She ran for him and reached his body, lying slumped on the ground, as if he was just a simple piece of paper, crumpled up and thrown away. Oh, but he was so much more! He was like a map, just waiting to be discovered and followed to the ends of the universe. And Amy would follow him, **had** followed him, to the ends of the universe and beyond. "He couldn't end here, he wouldn't!" Amy thought desperately, "He'll never leave us." She gently laid his head on her lap, cradling his torso and running her fingers through his hair.

"Doctor, look at me! Look at me! Come on you can do it you stupid idiot! You stupid, horrible, ridiculous, wonderful alien! LOOK AT ME! Please, please, please be okay. Rory! Help him!" The hysterical red-head screamed at her husband, barely able to form words. Rory rushed forward and bent down to examine The Doctor.

"Why isn't he regenerating?" Rory questioned thoughtfully, concerned, but in a calm voice.

"REGENERATING?! He is dying, you moron! Forget about regenerations, worry about saving this version of him, my version… my Doctor." She broke down and lay across the Doctor's legs, praying.

"Ugh, ghu,aguh." The Doctor gasped, his mouth choking back a puddle of blood that had gurgled past his throat, a steady stream slowly, but surely, rising.

"Shh, save your energy" Rory said. He gently lifted the now sopping tweed jacket away from the wound. This didn't stop the bloody garments from tugging on the Doctor's skin and he screamed in pain. He began to convulse.

"Rory! What's happening?" Amy choked out, through sobs. Something snapped in Amy's mind, and if she hadn't been broken before, she certainly was now. Undistinguishable sobs came from Amy as she started to unravel. The Doctor continued to shake on the ground, more violently, and shook his head so harshly against the ground. Rory took off his jacket and curled in a tight ball, which he then placed under the Doctor's head to cushion the blow of the convulsions.

"He's going into shock. We need to get him to the TARDIS, but he can't be moved while he's like this." Rory stated, with the fear in his voice obvious. He placed his palms on the Doctor's shoulders, attempting to steady him as he shook, and the Doctor stilled, his eyelids cracking open slightly. His gaze was glassy and unfocused. His eyes widened as he glanced behind Amy's shoulder and he began to spurt blood and oxygen from his lungs.

"Geug, Guh, Jegx!" The Doctor sputtered, spraying blood out everywhere. Time slowed as everyone gathered around the Doctor, including Sheriff Isaac, struggled to comprehend what he had just said. Finally, they realized what he meant and it hit them all like a wall of bricks. Amy stood up and whirled around, her eyes dangerously wild, only to see the end of a gun pointed at her livid face. She looked up into Jex's dark brown eyes, cold and calculating, and she glared at him with an equal level of hate. Then, Amy saw something she did not expect to see in his eyes. For just a brief moment, she saw guilt. She saw pity. She saw remorse. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath, waiting for Jex to pull the trigger. He never did. They stood there in silence for what seemed like an eternity, in absolute silence. The neighboring town over 100 miles from Mercy could have heard a pin drop from there. Nobody even dared breathe. Finally, the Doctor's coughing and spluttering brought the citizens and Amy out of the trance timeless trance. She rushed to his side, defiant of the gun previously pointed at her face. Nothing would keep Amelia Pond from her Raggedy Man.

"Ugh,jargh GAH!" The Doctor screamed. He kept screaming and writhing with agony. The companion wanted to comfort him, but Amy just didn't know how. She wept and sobbed while Rory tried to calm the Doctor.

"Rory, what's wrong with him? Why is he shaking so much? And why is there so much blood?" Amy began to really lose her cool. Just then, the Doctor decided to painfully retch up his small breakfast and what seemed like 75% of his blood. That only further freaked her out.

"I'm not sure what's wrong with him. He's not human, remember? I don't know anything about Time Lord injuries. For all I know trying to stop the bleeding could be making it worse!" Rory exclaimed, and panic glared in his eyes, fear etching his sharp features.

"I seriously doubt that blood loss won't kill a Time Lord, Rory. He is still a living creature. So, for now you need to treat him like a human. Just remember the double hearts." Amy confidently reassured Rory, suddenly awake, despite her obvious need of reassurance. Confidence boosted, Rory began to spout of medical jargon that went straight over Amy's vibrantly red head.

"Well, this being a penetrating chest trauma, I would say we need to stop the loss of blood as much as we can and determine the bullets current position." Rory gently rolled the Doctor on his side examining his back. A much larger pool of blood had spread across his back, and you could clearly see an exit wound. "At least that's some relief; the bullet's no longer in him. Judging by the angle of the bullet's path and the amount of blood, I'd say it's penetrated his left lung, but only just. There's a profuse amount of blood coming from the wounds and he's spitting it up, so it looks like hemothorax is occurring. This would mean that we need to get him to a hospital immediately or he will die!" Rory finished breathlessly. Amy stared at him awestruck and had a sudden urge to violently attack his lips with her own flushed ones. She pushed that thought deep down into her mind as Rory's last words sunk in. He will die! Amy froze, shocked by this. Reality crashed around her as she comprehended how hopeless the situation was. "We can't do anything. He is going to die." Those words floated around Amy's muddled brain, as she contemplated the cons of their endeavor. "We are in the middle of nowhere, with insufficient access to medical help, but out time machine couldn't possibly work without an appropriate driver, the current one lying in a pool of his own blood." Amy pondered this, all the while sat next to her husband and dying best friend.

"Amy, grab his legs." Rory told his wife, reaching down to grab the Doctor's arms. Nothing registered to Amy, distinctly **not** that Rory was speaking to her. Her mind was still on the TARDIS watching as they went through adventures across all of time and space. "My family and I. My family."

"Amy! Help me! He's going to die!" Rory screamed. Again, Amy heard him but did not listen. She sat and thought about nothing, which, to the Doctor, meant everything. Amy remembered the birth of her daughter, and she saw her only child being taken from her. Amy saw her grown up and beautiful, and she saw her River marry Amy's best friend, Melody's love.

"Amelia." A small voice whispered, hardly even audible. She looked down to see The Doctor reaching his hand, blood soaked, out towards her. She quickly took it, ignoring the slick crimson liquid making it difficult to get grasp. "My family is here. My family is dying." Amy thought, smiling down at the Doctor. "But my family will be okay. We had to be."

Amy bent down and took up the Doctor's legs in her arms, and Rory grabbed the Doctor underneath his armpits. Isaac and the preacher helped them carry the Doctor to the horse, Susan, and together they heaved The Doctor on her back. Rory climbed up and sat behind the Doctor, keeping him on the saddle, while Amy jumped on another horse. They were wished luck by the townsfolk, who were busy shoving Jex into the jail cell, where Amy knew he would get what he deserved. They quickly left Mercy in the dust and hurried to the TARDIS. It was parked just on the outskirts of town and the three rode right up to the blue front doors. With amazing speed, Amy jumped of her horse and sped towards the Doctor and Rory. Amy helped Rory get the Doctor down, limp in form, and she put her arms under the Doctor to keep him from collapsing, while Rory took the other side. They slowly approached the TARDIS, then y stood there awkwardly, unsure of how to get in.

"Tell me The Doctor didn't lock the TARDIS before we entered the town." Rory groaned, almost in unison with The Doctor. Both of them jumped in amazement that The Doctor could actually form words.

"I…In m-my co-c-coat p-pocket" The Doctor spluttered, again choking on his blood. His eyes rolled behind his eyelids and his head lolled down. Amy opened up his coat, shocked at how much blood was seeping through. She found the key glowing in his pocket, but dropped it just as soon as she picked it up.

"Ow! It burned me!" Amy complained. It quickly replaced the yellow glow with a blue tinge and then returned to its ordinary Yale-lock key form. She quickly picked it back up and placed it inside the TARDIS lock, turning it immediately and pushing open the doors. They entered the TARDIS and instantly felt that familiar sense of home. They, all three, just stood in the doors of the TARDIS as it hummed contently; glad its thief was back. Amy breathed in the fresh air of love and sighed. "This is where my family is. This is our home."


End file.
